This week, Mrs. Goodman* celebrated her 87th birthday. This was her special day, and it had been on my calendar for months. I didn't want to miss it!
We didn’t mean to be outside, but I wanted to ask about what was clearly her husband’s truck, so we stepped outside to take a peek.
The chairs in the garage were already in place, as it was evident that others had visited with her there before. In fact, she was looking for her pastor, who she expected to drop by to check on her after a recent surgery. We talked casually, my asking about her day, and admiring her garden that was planted by others. We talked about my family, who she knew from grade school. We talked about her vocation, her children and grandchildren, places she had been. She mentioned several times how well her family and neighbors took care of her, which you could tell in her voice how much that gave her peace.
As I gave her plenty of time for the visit, I couldn’t help but look across her yard and take in the sights and sounds of the cars passing by, the water sprinkler rotating back and forth and the wasp that was often too close for comfort. I was intentional about not getting in a hurry and as our conversation continued, I was again reminded of how thankful I was that God had planted the seed of building the Felicity Manor community. Many of them just long for your time. Please never let me get too busy to stop by just to shoo away the wasp and talk about tomatoes! It was a blessing!
*name changed to protect privacy